Colors
If set in the Hollywood cinematic universe, the World Cup is a battlefield, then the summer of 2026 in North America is like the final part of the Avengers: Endgame series. Very colorful, only different in content, where the battle is not divided into 2 factions of right and wrong, but each name in 48 teams represents a mission, a desire, to affirm their position in the biggest arena on the planet.
Extremely interesting when the diversity of "fighters" is expressed through nicknames that can be combined into 3 groups: Color/clothing group (full in the color palette); Animal group (dragons, lions, elephants, tigers, leopards, wolves, foxes, sharks, eagles, kangaroos and even... devils); Cultural/historical group (samurai, pharaohs, desert warriors). In harmony with the scorching summer sun, with the cultural colors that fans from all over the world bring, the 2026 World Cup is history.
Heritage
In fact, its historical significance has been recognized long before it began. The 2026 World Cup can be likened to the "multi-dot upgrade" of the 1994 World Cup. 32 years ago, the 1994 World Cup for the United States was like an alien spaceship landing on hills near the Hollywood sign. That was the first time a country was awarded the right to host a tournament without even having a professional championship. Football in this country is only secondary, even considered foreign. All factors that make the organizers face a challenge perhaps unlike any other host: Building a World Cup from scratch, in the true sense from scratch.
But, from the perspective and perspective of Americans, the World Cup is just "an event" and they bring an event imbued with American identity, no matter how football is. And it was a resounding success, from the presence of superstars Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Evander Holyfield, Mary Lou Retton, Robin Williams, Whitney Houston... and a total of nearly 3.6 million spectators - a record that has not yet been broken, even though the World Cup has increased to 32 teams.
The 1994 World Cup is likened to an event that "changed everything" and 32 years later, when Americans no longer need to be explained what football is or what the World Cup means, here, football "dominates even in cities where baseball or football is king". According to Mr. Alan Rothenberg - Chairman of the 1994 Organizing Committee, that is the real legacy that the tournament left behind that year.
Upgrades and challenges
That means, the task of the 2026 World Cup is to inherit and upgrade that heritage, not only in quantity. Rothenberg said that Americans count down every day with a mixture of hope and anxiety. Because the rudimentary and pureness of 1994 is now replaced by a super project operating with algorithms that are coldly accurate. The 2026 World Cup is a "landing" of super brands. This is no longer a game of individuals, but becomes a giant industrial machine designed to maximize revenue and global influence.
The cultural diversity at the 2026 World Cup is undeniable. It is the intersection of the whole world on the basis of the connection of the 3 host countries - the US, Mexico and Canada. However, that diversity - carrying in itself rudimentary, pure, romantic strokes, needs to become a counterweight to the coldness in the football era where accuracy overwhelms creativity. Can the 2026 World Cup recreate the enchanting atmosphere of 1994?
MATCH SCHEDULE
02:00 on June 12th: Mexico - South Africa (VTV3, VTV10, VTV6)
09:00 AM on June 12th: Korea - Czech Republic (VTV3, VTV6)
